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Trump’s Endangered Species Plan An ‘Assault Against Nature,’ Rep. Buchanan Says

An endangered Florida panther scratching at a tree in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
An endangered Florida panther scratching at a tree in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.

A Republican Congressman from Florida sent a letter to the Trump Administration Monday criticizing its plans to weaken protections for endangered species.

The White House's latest proposal to roll back the Endangered Species Actwould eliminate automatic protections for threatened species, lessen requirements for scientific review, and reduce consultation with federal agencies before approving permits for things, like oil and gas drilling.

In a press release, (R-Sarasota) called the latest move “an assault against nature."

He wrote a letter urging the secretaries of interior and commerce to reconsider the plan.

Click here to view Buchanan’s letter.

Buchanan said these safeguards have kept these animals alive for nearly half a century.

He noted the recent United Nations report showing that one million species of plants and animals are now threatened with extinction across the globe.

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Jessica Meszaros is a reporter and host of Morning Edition at WUSF Public Media, and former reporter and host of All Things Considered for WGCU News.
Jessica Meszaros is a reporter and host of Morning Edition at WUSF Public Media, and former reporter and host of All Things Considered for WGCU News.